Bruce Cameron 5/12/11

The Long, Long Passport Form

Bruce Cameron

A loyal reader recently wrote to inform me that the federal government has some inefficiencies. I was shocked to hear it.

As proof, he attached a copy of ds5513, the proposed “long form” passport application that the U.S. Department of State may soon be deploying in order to reduce government paperwork by ensuring it never has to issue another passport.

On the new form, you must list all of your blood relatives, plus any step-parents, plus whether your birth was recorded (the “Donald Trump question”). Then you need to “list your mother’s residence one...